Waiting it Out

It was all I could do to hold my sanity and keep from running off into the hurricane-torn jungle. A snake bite was where I drew the line. I was ready to give up. Again.

"There's not much we can do now," Kevin sighed helplessly,"Just drag him to shelter and we'll try and wait this out."

We promptly followed orders, too tired to do much else. What was an anaconda doing out in the middle of a hurricane anyways? Or a camper, for that matter.

Once we reached our meager shelter that was so battered by now it hardly protected against anything, we all sat in a huddled circle. Kevin and I did the best we could to clean and bandage his stomach-curdling wounds and I could only hope it was enough. Finally, physically and emotionally exhausted, we sat back to wait.

The other campers muttered anxiously amongst themselves above the roaring wind and rain. I was about to simply fall into the company of my own thoughts when out of the corner of my eye I saw Kevin curl his legs up and bury his face in his arms.

"You alright?" I asked, touching his shoulder.

His head moved in a nod but I knew better than that. Kevin's 'alright' was a winning smile and a contagious laugh. This was something I'd never seen him do before.

"It's okay," I yelled above the storm, "It will have to end eventually."

He finally pulled his stress-worn face up and nodded, "I know. But who's to say they'll all be alive then? If we get back we'll have to face their parents. I couldn't bear that if even one of them were gone. I just couldn't."

The only words I could find was, "I know."

I wrapped an arm around his hunched shoulders, though for my support of his I wasn't sure, and resumed to wait it out.

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